Hello, Richard.

Yes, I have a viable theroy as to why. The question is am I right, the answer - I don't know.

I was 4 years old when I started having urinary tract infection - retention. I was cathed numerous times and even put in the hospital to have it done. It never made a difference. I lived off meds for a good portion of my childhood. I was abused as a child starting at the age of 2 1/2.

I had other symptoms of MS as a child but, my mother termed me a hypochondriac and never bothered taking me to a doctor. I believed I was a hypochondriac until I had my first severe exacerbation and a neuro who knew something was wrong. I had my diagnosis of MS when I was 25 years old, three months after my first neuro appointment.

This could be anyone's story with or without MS but, add in the theroy of predisposition and a history dating back to childhood of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and for me there is a connection.

I tend to look at it as - it is what it is for whatever reason and I believe when research finds more answers each of us will find a different cause or trigger.

I have never had the EBV (mono)